We left temperatures in the upper 80s and came home to fall weather, which means switching out clothes. No complaints here. I do believe this is my favorite time of year and I love sweaters.

So, here’s to saying adios to summer and getting on with autumn. School is starting, house is being organized, fall menus are being planned, soccer is beginning, football is here, pumpkins are everywhere, trees are changing and we’re so ready for it all.

Look how pretty!

There were just a few more questions I had for Sarah.

What has been the hardest part so far?

Money, Money, Money. It takes so much faith for God to press something on your heart that you know FOR SURE you can’t pull off in and of yourself. So much so, that at first I was like “we can only afford a domestic adoption!” God continues to show himself faithful…of course.

What things do you ask people to pray about in support of your adoption?

Guess what? Money!! There is more, too …

Smoothness of process -There are endless opportunities for bumps along the way. (craters, actually!)

Speed – Every time I send something in, I pray over it and all the hands it is in.

Influence of the Gospel

Patience

Current contentment

I loved this post Josh did about the unknown. I’m sure it’s difficult to give up the desire for control sometimes. Are there any more struggles (that you are comfortable sharing– specific to motherhood, perhaps) that have surprised you along the way? (Anything you weren’t expecting to feel/worry about?)

I think even if I were pregnant again I would have this same worry: “Will I have room to love even more?” I felt this with each of my 3 pregnancies. This is a passing thought and  I KNOW there is TONS of love left to give.

Also Josh and I are MAJORLY affectionate with our children. We have made them all promise to continue to kiss us on the mouth even when they are teenagers:) We have wondered how others will  perceive our same affection with a non biological child of a different race. Not to sound like a weirdo, but we just LOVE to have our kids sleep with us and sit on our laps. We love smellin’ em and just kissin’ em up to death. Naturally we will do the same with our new addition.

Anyone interested in helping the Perrys on this journey can donate by clicking on the ‘donate’ button on their sidebar, or email sarah.perry@crewcommunity.org  and order some of the nifty t-shirts you see in these pics. Those proceeds will definitely help the proceedings.

Sarah, what prompted you and your family to pursue an overseas adoption?

Our love for children and our love for the gospel.

Are your kids excited about it?

YES:) I don’t think they understand it all, but we try to explain the best we can so they do. They all say they want to share a bedroom with her. [the baby sister they're planning to adopt] On their own, they pray for her which is too freakin cute!!

Are there any books/resources you would recommend to someone thinking about adoption of any sort? Specifically overseas/African?

The Bible, Adopted for life by Russell Moore, countless blogs. Literally 6 months before we officially said we were adopting we read, read, read & prayed:)

To us, it has been like a three step process (not counting fund raising….that is ongoing).

1. Get our home study done – which is where a social worker requires an obscene amount of paperwork and several interviews are conducted, one including even a study of our home – COMPLETE!!! We’ve been working through all of this since January.

2. Compiling our dossier – which is a big bunch of official paperwork for the Ethiopian government. We’re just waiting on ONE last paper to come in…out of about 40.  After our dossier is sent to Ethiopia, we will officially be on the wait list. Average wait for an infant girl is 15 months right now.

3. Wait, Wait, Wait! is the last thing. When we get a referral for our baby girl, then the hustle and bustle of traveling over there 2 times will begin. We have to make 2 visits.

Were you mentally prepared for the red tape?

Josh was. He is able to keep a little more distance from it. He knows it is a long process and has just submitted to it (kinda like a pregnancy huh?). I, on the other hand, am a little more emotionally involved. I knew it would be a long process but I also struggle with control and therefore try to look for ways to speed up the red tape. When there is something to be done on a time line (which is about once a week) I literally work on it non stop…not good….but being honest. So for me, NO! I wasn’t ready but just had to jump in and start somewhere right? Even if you are prepared, more red tape will pop up…it is endless…but worth it!

First, let me tell you about my friend Sarah. We go way back. Well, at least to the tenth grade.  What a fireball she was–the new girl on campus that you just couldn’t NOT like. With eyes that flashed, a smile that lit up the room, (nay, the entire building!) and a laugh that was unbelievably contagious, she was this little bundle of energy and excitement. And she loved kids. We all just knew that she would grow up and have 10 of her very own. She knew how to engage children, make them laugh and cuddle them up as if she’d been born a mother. (She was supposed to be my roommate in college, but she had to go and find a man and eventually marry him. That seemed more important to her than being a security blanket for me…selfish, selfish girl. Wait! This isn’t about me, is it?)

I watched her marry the man of her dreams one summer, and soon after, get whisked off with him to seminary. She came back with 3 babies and a heart for people and God–big surprise! They followed His leading and began a work that is now growing and thriving under super leadership.  We’ve kept in touch over these years, and it’s been so fun to see her grow by leaps and bounds, to see her raise children (alongside her man) with the same big hearts, great smiles, and fun personalities.

I’ve also seen her family’s desire to share all that loveliness grow from a tiny spark into this big flame: adoption. And that’s what I want to share with you this week. Not only because I’m just so proud of who my friend has become in Christ, but also because I think it’s important to share how we as individuals and families can spread the bounty with which we all have been blessed. If not by physically going and doing ourselves, then by helping others as they go and do.

Later this week I’ll be posting a two part interview with Sarah, so you can see her heart and not just take my word for it. But you don’t have to wait.  You can follow the progress of the Perry’s adoption on their blog and on Facebook.  Sarah also contributes to the {{real}} women of Crew Community blog.

Today we’re resting, relaxing and ready-ing for the coming school year, making slow and subtle-yet-necessary changes in our routines. We have a few last things to enjoy this summer before buckling down and hitting the books once again.

But this post isn’t about seat belts. It’s about facebook and blogging and tweeting and “sharing.” The clicking is more about doing it with your mouse and landing on links that cause you to worry and obsess. It’s about making other people feel like bad human beings or failures, whether knowingly or inadvertently.

In a conversation with a good friend the other evening, I heard myself say, “I’ve just stopped clicking on the links.” It’s not that I want to be ignorant. Far from it! I want to know about being healthy and I want to teach my kids to care about what they eat and how to take care of themselves and our environment. I want to be successful at homeschooling, mothering, being a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a citizen of this world. I’m sure all of us do. But reading a snatch of something that may or not be true or proven can very easily send some people into a downward spiral of worry and doubt.

At some point, we have to live. There is no end to the information that is available to us and a lot of it is good stuff. But some of it is scary, over the top, fanatical. We have to stop being freaked out about every little thing we read or watch. What good are we to our families if we are constantly worrying about every action we take in our various roles? There comes a time when after we’ve done the very best we can to be healthy and safe, we just have to move forward and trust that God will take care of us.

I’m not being flippant. That’s really not my intention. I’m not saying we should stick our heads in the sand or plug our ears with our fingers to avoid unpleasantness. But with all the stuff that’s out there and the ability to be connected with so many of our peers, we can really start to burden others with our knowledge and opinions or be burdened by theirs. I’m sure I’ve been guilty of it, so I am not pointing fingers. I just think we need to support each other and more  specifically as women, not cause each other to feel like failures because of some precaution we haven’t taken or have chosen to overlook. Sharing information is one thing, but I’ve seen it done in some pretty distasteful ways.

Whether it’s a food/health issue, a parenting issue, a schooling issue, or whatever else, engaging in it with a thankful and content heart is always better than partaking with pride. Every time. Sharing gently and with grace is so much better than using a harsh, judgmental tone.  And sometimes ignorance really is bliss–sometimes you’re better off to not read or watch, especially if it is going to render you helpless and insecure.

If there is something you are passionate about, think about why that is. Is it because you genuinely care about people and want what’s best for them?  And when you decide to post something, think about it before you do.(and I will too!) Ask yourself how it will make others feel. Is there a gentler tone you can take? There is always a way to voice concerns and even opinions without causing others to feel inadequate . And furthermore! (I’ve always wanted to say that in the right context) If you’re prone to worry, don’t click the links that are going to send you spiraling. Don’t feel bad about protecting yourself and your family from debilitating doubts.

That is all. Pleasantries to follow, later in the week.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

This was another easy and fun project from Handmade Home. If  you sew and you don’t already have this book, you should. You just should. That’s all I’m gonna say about it. (for now)

Cowboy, cowboy, won’t you be my cowboy?

Don’t say ‘no’! Gotta Go,

Off to ride the range!

And this one has been in the family for so long. The babies always love it.

Ride a little horsie up along a hill

Girls go to market, boys go to mill

Where ya going, little boy? (to the mill!)

Better watch out down there,

There’s a snake down there.

He’ll scare your horse and make you fall.

Say, “no danger!” (no danger!)

Trot trot trot trot trot trot, Whooo!

What are some of your favorite rhymes/games for babies?